Animal activists free battery hens

Activists opposed to the battery farming of hens have broken
into an animal enclosure on the NSW Central Coast and released
dozens of chickens.

About 20 members of Animal Liberation NSW snuck into chicken
sheds on the Morisset property and released 40 hens from their
small wire cages, group spokeswoman Kristi-anna Brydon said.

Ms Brydon said the activists, wearing Easter Bunny ears, wanted
to highlight the inhumane conditions in which chickens were kept
for laying eggs.

She said hundreds of chickens were being kept at the property in
overcrowded conditions, often five or six to a cage the size of a
(old style) television set.

"We rescued about 40-odd chickens and recorded video footage to
highlight the plight of the way these chickens are treated," Ms
Brydon said.

"We want to show people that these hens don't have a life, and
we want to give people an opportunity to rethink buying battery
eggs.

"(The chickens) are not able to stretch their wings, they're not
able to express their natural behaviour like scratching the ground
and laying eggs somewhere comfortable, and a lot of them are
sitting on top of other chickens."

The shed was infested with rats and there were many dead
chickens littering the cages, she said.

Ms Brydon said most Australians did not understand the
conditions in which battery hens were kept. She urged consumers to
buy only free-range eggs.

She defended the activists' decision to enter the property,
saying the rescued hens would enjoy a better quality of life
because of the action.

"Each of these 40 birds has a right to live," she said.

"This gives them a new chance at life, to see the grass, to see
the sun and live life a bit happier."

The rescued hens had been taken to animal sanctuaries for
veterinary attention, she said.